falconry - All posts tagged falconry

When a recent reporting assignment took me to Manchester, Vt. one of my colleagues told me not to miss the British School of Falconry at the Equinox Resort. It’s one of the few places in the United States that teaches the ancient sport to uncertified amateurs.

Falconry goes back some 4,000 years, to China’s royal court. The sport likely reached Europe sometime around 300 B.C. By the middle ages, it was the “Sport of Kings” with specific raptors assigned by royal and noble rank. The gyrfalcon was limited to the king, while only earls could fly peregrines, according to PBS documentary A Falconer’s Memoir. To understand the allure, you have to think of the days before guns, when hunting birds was only possible with other birds.

My trip’s history lesson had actually begun with a stay at the Equinox on Manchester’s Main Street. The hotel dates back to 1769 and served as a meeting point during the Revolutionary War. It’s hosted presidents ever since, including Ulysses S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt. Today, there’s nothing old about the hotel, which completed a $20 million renovation in 2008. It’s a perfect blend of charm and luxury; grand fireplaces next to plasma televisions.

Englishmen Emma and Steve Ford brought their school to the Equinox in 1995, offering the first real falconry lessons to Americans. I booked a private session with Robert Waite, the school’s manager. He promised plenty of hands-on experience. I hoped he was used to dealing with city slickers, not to mention toddlers.

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